Opener for paper receptacles.



PATENTED JUNE 9, 1903.

110 MODEL Fig-1.

f 221 en'foi W Md flforney Patented June 9, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

WESTON GREEN, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

OPENER FOR PAPER RECEPTACLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,821, dated June 9,1903.

Application filed September 22, 1902. Serial No. 124,374. (No model.)

1'0 a whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WESTON GREEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Openers for PaperReceptacles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification.

In the sale of bakers productssuch as crackers, biscuits, and the likeit has of late years become very common for the manufacturer instead ofselling such goods in bulk to inclose his goods in paper cartons, inwhich they are usually incased in waterproof paper.

and the carton then wrapped up and sealed with an outside wrapper. It isintended that the carton shall be opened at the proper place and thecontents withdrawn as needed without destroying the box until all thecontents are removed; but the package being sealed with an outsidewrapper it very frequently happens that the wrapper is torn at the wrong place, usually at the end, as the final folds of the wrapper invite anopening at this place, and the carton is not opened properly, so thatthe contents cannot be conveniently reached without practicallydestroying the package. It is the purpose of my invention to provide anopener for such cartons by means of which the outside wrapper may betorn always at the proper place to render easy and convenient access tothe contents of the package.

' For opening cans, paper boxes, and the like it has long been customaryto provide flexible cords or strips fixed in place before the receptacleis closed and sealed with the outside wrapper or label, in whichconstructions an end of the flexible cord or strip is allowed to projectto be drawn upon to tear or cut the label or wrapper at the proper placefor opening the package. So far as I am aware, however, in supplyingsuch devices it has always been necessary to locate the opener in placebefore the box is provided with the outside wrapper or label and to holdthe same in place in some manner or other until the final wrapping andlabeling has been completed. This necessitates a special construction ofthe carton or special and careful manipulation of the label or wrapperand requires an accuracy in size and shape of the opener that all mayremain in place until the package is completely wrapped and labeled. Allthis is a matter of considerable extra labor and trouble, involvingconsiderable expense in view of the very cheap price at which thefinished product must be sold. Furthermore, all probable users of sucharticles have on hand more or less large numbers of packages previouslywrapped and labeled to which it might be desirable to add an openingdevice and insure a uniformity in packages from a certain dateregardless of when a part of them had been put up. It is to overcomethese objections to openers as heretofore supplied that my invention isdirected; and the invention consists in the certain novel constructionand arrangement of the opener, to be hereinafter particularly pointedout and claimed,in which the opener is supplied after the package hasbeen completely wrapped up and sealed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a paper cartonwrapped and ready for the receipt of the opener. Fig. 2 is a similarview with the opener in place. Fig. 3 is a plan of the opener with thetag for attaching same removed. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of theopener ready for insertion with the attaching-tag in place. Figs. 5 and6 are perspective views of the under side of the outer end of theopener, showing one of several methods of securing the tag to theopener. Fig. 7 is a plan of one form of tag.

A is the carton completely wrapped with the outside wrapper and showingin dotted lines a a the inclosed carton. In the dotted line b I haveshown a tongue on the cover of the carton, and in order to open thepackage properly this tongue should be released to lift the cover. It isdesired, therefore, that the carton shall be opened at the edge 0, andthe wrapper should therefore be torn along this edge.

After the carton and its contents has been completely wrapped and sealedwith the outside wrapper a slit (Z is cut in this wrapper at one cornerat the proper edge to be opened.

B is a strip of stiff paper or other suitable flexible material strongerthan the material of the outside wrapper, of convenient width, and of alength to extend along the edge of the carton to be opened throughoutits length and a slight distance. beyond one edge. To this flexiblestrip B is secured near the end that is to project from the wrapper atag 0. This tag is preferably formed with the tongue 5 f, which isinserted through a slit it near the v of the stripg projecting, and uponthis end can be marked the directions showing how the opener is to beused. In the preferred construction the inner end of the strip 13 isgummed, as shown at E in Figs. 3 and 4. This gummed end is moistenedbefore the strip B is inserted through the slit d, and after all is inplacea slight pressure attaches the gummed portion E to the under sideof the wrapper at the corner of the package opposite the slit cl, sothat when the opener is pulled up it tears the paper Wrapper the fulllength of the opener, or an opening may be made through the wrapper atthe end opposite the slit cl and a go mmed sticker provided to be pasteddown over this opening to hold the opening-strip in place.

There are of course various modifications for attaching, thesecuring-tag in place. As shown in Fig. 2, the body of the tag may bepasted down overthe slit d and the tongue portion over the end of thewrapper, or, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the tongue portion f maybepasted to the strip and the body of the tag alone used to secure same tothe outside wrapper, or instead of securing the tag previously to theopener the slit or opening (I may be made somewhat larger and a separatetag or sticker employed to secure the same to the Wrapper in the samemanner that a sticker may be employed at the opposite edge of thepackage.

Other forms of construction will readily present themselves to thecarton-maker involving the general principles herein set forth withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, which consists in so devisingthe construction that the opener may be inserted after the outsideWrapper is in place and arranging for suitable means to retain theopener in place from the outside, so that by pulling on the opener thewrapper may be torn down its full length at the proper place for openingthe carton.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is p l. A paper carton, with sealed Wrapperenveloping same, a slit in the wrapper at one corner of the opening edgeof the carton and an opening in the wrapper at the opposite corner, astrip of flexible material extending substantially the length of theopening edge of the carton and extending beyond same, and gummed tagsfor concealing said opening and slit and for securing said strip to thewrapper, substantially as described.

2. An opener for paper cartons, consisting of a strip of flexiblematerial with a gummed tag secured near one end for attaching same inplace, substantially as described.

3. An opener for paper cartons, consisting of a strip of flexiblematerial with a gummed tag secured near one end, and. adhesive materialat the other end, for attaching same in place, substantially asdescribed.

4. An opener for paper cartons, consisting of a strip of flexiblematerial, slit therein near one end, and a gummed tag, provided with atongue inserted through said slit for attaching the strip in place,substantially as described.

WVESTON GREEN.

\Vitnesses:

HARLOW E. SPRING, W. PLEASS.

